lewis



r L. v. LEWIS. RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-31. 191.7.

Patented July 29, 1919.

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WITNESSES IIF I LLOYD V. LEWIS, OF EDGEWOOD BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVA YIA.

BAH-:WAY-TRAFFIC-CONTROLLING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 29, 1919.

Application filed August 31, 1917. Serial No. 189,045.-

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, Lnorn V. Lnwrs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Edgewood Borough, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements I in Railway-Trailic-Controlling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

. "I will describe one form and arrangement 7 of apparatus embodying my invention, and

will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic view showing-one form and arrangement of apparatus embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, the reference character R and R designate the track rails of a railway on which is a train made up of" two cars A and A. Each car is provided with a magnet Mwhich serves to govern the speed or progress of the train in any suitable manner.- This magnet M may control the brakes of the train, or it may control means for imposing certain speed limits on the train. For the fpurposes o the present specification it; is su cient .to say that when this magnetis energized, it

ives a proceed indication on the'train, and when'the magnet is de'einergized, it gives a train-governing indication and thereby imposes any desired limitations on the speed or progress ofthe train. As here shown, the armature of this magnet controls a valve 16 in a pipe 17, the valve being closed when the magnet is energized and open when it is denergized, The pipe 17 may control the brakes of the train in any suitable manner. Magnet M comprises two windings, namely, a ick-up winding 6, and a holding winding The pick-up winding when supplied with of energizing the magnet to close the valve current is capable I 16; the holding winding 7 is not capable of closing the valve, but will hold the valve closed when it has been closed by the pickup winding.

Extending throughout the length of the train are three conductors 3, 4 and P, the first two of which I will term battery conduotors, and the latter apick-up conductor. The conductors 3 and 4 are constantly connected with a source of energy. wh ch, as here shown, is a battery 2, one of zvh ch may be located upon each car of the rain.

Each car of the train is provided with a contactshoe S which is adapted to cooperate with a ramp 14 fixed in the trackway..

This contact shoe 8 comprises a contact member 8 fixedto a vertically movable rod 26, this rod and the contacting member being blased downwardlyby a coil spring 9 abutting against the member 8 and also against a part 10 fixed to the frame of the car. When the contact shoe S passes over the ramp 14 the shoe is raised against the,

biasing action of the spring 9. Attached to the upper end of the rod 26, but insulated therefrom, is a bridging member 11 which, when the rod is in its lowest or projected position, electricallyconnects two fixed contacts 12 and 13, but when the shoe is raised by a trackway ramp this bridging member" is moved out of engagement with the contacts 12 and 13.-

The holding winding 7 of magnet M on each car is provided with a circuit which is controlled by the contact 11-.12-13, this circuit being from positive battery wire 3, through wire 18, contact l2, bridg1ng member 11, contact 13, wire 19, holding winding 7, and wires 20 and '21 to the negative battery wire 4:. When, however, the car passes over the trackway ramp 14, its shoe S is elevated, thus opening the circuit for the holding'winding 7 of the magnet on that car, and unless the pick-up winding 6 is energized at the same time, the magnet M is denergized to give the train-governing indication that is to open valve 16.

Current is at times supplied to the pickup winding 6 from a source 5 in the trackway, the supply-0f this current being controlled by a trackway contact 15 which may be governed in any suitable or desired manner. If this contact 15 is closed as a car passes over the ramp 14:, the pick-up windup Wire P, wire 22 on the same car, pick-up winding 6, wires 23 and 21, wire 4, wire 24 to ground G, thence through rail R to the plication source of current 5. It is understood that the ground G is a connection between wire 24 and the framework of the car whereby this wire is connected with the wheels and so with track rail R. i

I will now assume that the train'is in the position shown and that it is moving in the direction indicated by the arrow, and that the valve 16 on each car is open, due to the fact that the train has previously passed over a deenergized trackway ramp 14. I will also assume that the contact15, shown in the drawing, is closed so that the ramp 14 is energized. As' the first car A of the train encounters ramp 14, the pick-up winding 6 of the magnet M on this car is energized through the circuit hereinbefore traced, so that this magnet M operates to close its valve 16. At the same time the pick-up winding 6 of the magnet on car A is supplied with current, the circuit being from the trackway source 5, through contact 15, ramp 14, contacting member '8, Wire 25, pic -up mm P, wire 22 on car A, pick-up Winding 6 of magnet M on the car A, wires 23 and 21 on car A, ground G on either car, and rail R to the trackway source 5. Magnet M on car A is thus energized to. close the valve 16 on this car, whereupon this valve is then held closed I y the holding winding 7.

It will be seen from the foregoing that when the valves 16 are opened and any car of the train passes over an energized ramp 14, the valve 16 on each car is'ifnmediately closed so that the proceed indication is immediately given on each car of'the train.

In this application I do not claim the broad invention of means for immediately giving a proceed indication on all cars of. a train when such indication is received on any one car from the trackway, such inven tion being the subject-matterof my co-pending application, J an. 23, 1918, for speed controlling apparatus for railway vehicles, and the latter apbeing a division of an application filed by me on March 12, 1915, Serial No. 13,853, for speed controlling apparatus for railway vehicles.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form and arrangement of apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may *be made therein .within'the ,scope of the appended claims without de-" wire 4, wire 24 and.

Serial No. 213,284, filed for a train made up parting from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus descri'bed my invention, what I claim is:

1. Railway traflic controlling apparatus for a train made up of a plurality of vehicles, comprising a train-governing magnet on each vehicle having a pick-up winding and a holding winding, a .circuit for the holding winding of each magnet including a, circuit controller on the same ,vehicle. biased to closed position, a continuous con-- ductor extending throughout the'train, the pick-up winding of each magnet being connected across said conductor and ground, and means located in the trackway for opening the said circuit controller on each vehicle and for connecting a source of current with said continuous conductor and ground.

2. Railway traflic controlling apparatus for a train made up of a plurality of vehicles, comprising a continuous conductor extending throughout the train, a magnet on each vehlcle having a winding constantly connected to said conductor, a source of'current located in the trackway, means for connecting said source to said conductor, and a holding circuit for each magnet including a source of current.

3. Railway traflic controlling apparatus trollers and for at times supplying current to said partial circuit.

4. Railway traflic controlling apparatus of a plurality of vehicles, comprising a magnet on each vehicle having a pick-up winding and a'holding winding, a circuit for the holding winding of each magnet including a circuit controller on the same vehicle biased to closed position,

a continuous conductor, extending throughout the train, the pick-up winding of each magnet being connected across said conductor and ground, a source of current located in the trackway, and meanslocated in the .trackway for opening said circuit controllers and for connecting said source with said conductor and ground. 1

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LLOYD v. LEWIS. Witnesses:

A. HERMAN WEGNER, E. P. Croat. 

